


I'm Home

by bookworm6570



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25128403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm6570/pseuds/bookworm6570
Summary: Lydia Deetz returns to her childhood home after many years of being away. However, things are tougher for her now, being a mother of 3 children and wife to a man in the army.Will the Maitlands be able to help her through her struggles or will it all become too much?
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland, Lydia Deetz & Barbara Maitland, Lydia Deetz/Liam Davey
Comments: 19
Kudos: 17





	1. Back where it all began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia Deetz returns to her childhood home after many years of being away. However, things are tougher for her now, being a mother of 3 children and wife to a man in the army. Will the Maitlands be able to help her through her struggles or will it all become too much?

_'You're destination is on your right'_

A black car stopped infront of the old Victorian house and 2 children jumped out, happy to be free of their prison at last. The brown haired girl tapped her brother excitedly on the arm and they looked up at their new house. The young boy tapped his sister back and smirked at her. The two shared a look before running up the house's front path, racing each other to the front door. Lydia Deetz shook her head at them as she got out the car, breathing in the familiar fresh air of the country.

"Mum!" called out her daughter "Can we have the key?"

"Come and get it darling" she called back. The girl sighed and ran to her mother, grabbing the key and running back to her brother. Lydia laughed at her 2 kids and walked round to the side of her car to gently wake up her youngest daughter, who was only 3 years old. "Tori, baby, we're here" she said gently, stroking her soft cheek. Slowly, Victoria Jean Davey woke up and clutched her stuffed bunny rabbit to her chest.

"Hi mummy" she said sleepily, holding one of her small arms out to her mother, the other firmly holding onto the rabbit.

"Hi sweetheart, we're here" said Lydia, unbuckling her and picking her up "Your sister and brother have already gone inside, shall we join them?" Victoria nodded sleepily and laid her head on her mothers shoulder, sticking one of the ears of her bunny in her mouth. As Lydia walked inside the front door, memories washed over her.

"Mum!" called out Alexandra Barbara Davey, running in from the kitchen, closely followed by her brother "Mum, this house is huge, which rooms mine?"

"We'll decide after we unpack the car" said Lydia "The moving van should be here tomorrow, so tonight we're all going to sleep in one room upstairs together in sleeping bags"

"Aww, mum, do I seriously have to sleep with her?" asked William Adam Davey, shoving his finger in his sisters face, who ducked away from it, reminding Lydia of when she'd first met Beetlejuice.

"Yes honey, its for one night" said Lydia. Will pouted at her "Come help me unpack and we'll talk about it after'" Will and Alex nodded, before running out to the car, playfully shoving each other around. Lydia set Victoria on the ground and offered her a hand. The 3 year old took it and followed her mother as she went to find the power box. "Now Tori, your grandpa said it'd be easy and safe to turn this on, but if something happens to mummy, tell Lex and Will straight away, ok?"

"Ok mummy" said Victoria, plopping down on her butt and sucking happily on the rabbits ear as she watched her mother turn the electricity and water on. "Mummy, Flopsy and me are hungry"

"Ok sweetie, we'll eat as soon as we unpack the car, ok?" Lydia picked Victoria up and put her on her hip. As she walked back through the main part of the house, she thought she saw movement on the stairs, but when she looked back, there was nothing.

"Mum, where do you want all this junk?" asked Alex, walking inside, lugging 2 huge suitcases behind her.

"Thanks Lex" said Lydia, laughing "Just put them wherever, where's Will?"

"Trying to carry 3 bags cause he's so strong" Alex rolled her eyes and went to help her brother.

"I can help mummy!" said Victoria "I am strong"

"Of course you are sweetie" said Lydia, kissing her lightly on the nose "Lets go help your siblings"

That night, Lydia had all her children set up in different rooms. Despite their complaints, Will and Alex were asleep in Lydia's old bedroom and Victoria was sleeping with Lydia in the old guest bedroom that Lydia was planning to turn into her bedroom. "Hey, Tori bear, I'm just going to check on your brother and sister ok? I'll be back soon but call out if you need anything" said Lydia, kissing her sleepy daughter on the head.

"Wait, before you go" Victoria held out her bunny toy "Flopsy needs a kiss too" Lydia laughed and kissed the rabbit on the head. The small child snuggled into the sleeping bag and closed her eyes. Slowly, Lydia shut the door and silently walked through the halls, feeling like she was a teenager again.

She'd learned from all her night-time visits to the attic as a child where all the creaky floorboards were and she avoided them easily. She climbed the attic stairs fast and pressed her ear against the door. Silence. Adam and Barbara couldn't have left, she thought, debating whether or not to go inside, they're probably just reading or asleep. Slowly, she opened the attic door. It was dark, which was unusual since Adam and Barbara always had the light on. Lydia wandered through the room she'd spent so much time in as a child, and saw everything just as she remembered. The stacks of books Adam loved to read, the old pottery jugs that'd survived Lydia's tempers, old boxes full of stuff from their lives and a wardrobe that held old dresses.

Lydia had searched every inch of the attic for her ghost parents, but couldn't find them anywhere. They're gone, she thought, walking to the door and turning the light off. Sadly she walked downstairs and, instead of going to back to Victoria, walking down to the kitchen to get a drink of water, taking time to fully process the thought that the Maitlands were no longer in the attic. However, her thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Lydia?"


	2. Old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia has a talk with some old friends

Lydia whipped her head around to see Adam and Barbara standing in the kitchen doorway looking at her. Quickly, Lydia got to her feet and ran to her ghost parents. They wrapped their arms around her and hugged her back tightly.

"Adam... Barb... I'd thought you'd left" said Lydia, pulling away and looking at the couple

"We're not leaving" said Barbara, looking at the young woman infront of her "Charles and Delia told us you were moving in and we decided to stick around"

"How long has it been since we last saw you?" asked Adam, also looking at Lydia in curiosity 

"Uhh, lets see, Lex was 5, so around 5 or 6 years" said Lydia, realising just how long it had been and feeling guilt wash over her "I'm sorry I didn't come round sooner"

"Oh Lydia its fine" said Barbara "Thats what we were most worried about, you being stuck in this house because of us"

"I feel bad about not visiting you guys" said Lydia 

"Its fine sweetheart" said Barbara "Just tell us what you've been up to since we last saw you"

"Oh well, I'm still a photographer but I am also an author" said Lydia proudly 

"I knew you had it in you to publish your work" said Adam, hugging Lydia so tightly it lifted her off the ground a little "Is it one of the stories you showed us?"

"Yeah, it was the story of me moving into this house" said Lydia "Everyone believes its fiction and poor Beej, he's probably being summoned left right and centre" she looked at the Maitlands "Does he still visit you guys?"

"Yeah" said Barbara "He's just busy with being co-head of the Netherworld now" she smiled and walked over and grabbed Lydia's glass, washing it out in the sink and drying it with her powers. Lydia laughed 

"Barb, you don't have to do that" she said, watching the ghost put it away in the cupboard with the other stuff her parents had left behind

"But I do" said Barbara, going back over to the 2 of them and linking her hand with Adam's. "Sorry, its just automatic, I miss helping people"

"Well, I'm gonna need a lot of help" said Lydia "I've got a huge photography project to do and I'm writing another novel" she ran a ran over her face "God, and I've got to convince 2 kids to go to a new school and have to keep another one entertained"

"You have 3 kids?" asked Barbara "I remember seeing Alex and Will"

"Yeah, we have Tori, or Victoria, she's 3 and was a surprise" said Lydia, she looked sadly at Barbara "I know how you feel Barb" 

"Uhh... how I feel?" asked Barbara. Lydia mouthed ' _miscarriage'_ and Barbara covered her mouth. "Oh Lydia, I'm so sorry" she wrapped her up in a tight hug and Adam joined in "You shouldn't have to go through that. I'm so so so sorry". After a while, Lydia pulled away and smiled at them.

"Thanks guys" she said sadly "luckily Liam was home. But he's been gone 9 months now, and we don't know when he'll be back"

"I can't believe he joined the army" muttered Barbara, before smiling at Lydia "He'll come back soon Lydia, I know it. My brother loves you more than anything, he'll come home" Lydia looked uncertain and sad so Adam decided to change the subject.

"You look different Lydia" she raised her eyebrows at him "It's a good different, don't worry"

"Thanks" said Lydia "How though?"

"Well, you look happier, tired, but happy" said Barbara "And your hair is so pretty"

"Thanks" said Lydia, fiddling a little with her hair. It was a dark brown and had blonde tips. "Its naturally gone to a darker blonde, but I dyed it darker, because I still like having dark hair"

"Well, it suits you" said Adam "Makes you look older"

"Well I'd hope so" laughed Lydia "I'm not 16 anymore"

"How old are you?" asked Barbara

"Um... 33" said Lydia 

"Oh wow, you're nearly older than us" laughed Adam "We died when we were both 34"

"I thought you guys were like 29 or 30" said Lydia "I never did ask about your ages though"

"There was never any need" said Barbara sadly "You don't age when your dead"

"Hmm, well, I still feel bad" said Lydia.

"Mummy?" called a small voice. Lydia looked at the Maitlands and put a finger to her lips, indicating for them to stay silent. They nodded and went to stand by the sink. "Mummy? Where are you?" 

"In the kitchen sweetie" said Lydia, walking over to the doorway and picking her daughter up "why aren't you asleep?"

"You didn't come back and I couldn't find you anywhere" she said in a small voice. Lydia kissed her head

"Well, you found me baby, anything else?"

"I'm thirsty" said Victoria "And so's Flopsy"

"Well, how about we get you a small drink and then head to bed. Hows that sound?" Lydia walked back into the kitchen and saw the Maitlands standing in the far corner of the room, smiling at her.

"Flopsy needs a drink too" said Victoria, like it was the most obverse thing ever. Lydia laughed and sat her daughter on the bench.

"Well, you and Flopsy can share ok?" Victoria nodded and happily watched as Lydia looked through the cupboards "Oh look, Dad left this behind" she showed her daughter the cup that had the scene of a meadow on it, with bunnies hopping through it "Shall we use it?"

"Yeah!" said Victoria, bouncing up and down. Lydia filled it up halfway and put a straw in it, handing it to her daughter. The 3 year old happily sat on the bench, drinking the water with her stuffed rabbit clutched tightly under her arm. Lydia noticed her eyes were focused on the far corner of the room.

"Whatcha looking at cupcake?" she asked 

"Why are there people over there?" asked Victoria calmly, pointing a single finger at the Maitlands, who looked at each other and Lydia. Lydia sighed and glanced upstairs, to make sure that her other 2 kids didn't come downstairs. Having one child being able to see ghosts was enough. "Mummy? Are they your friends? One kinda looks like daddy, but he's not here" she looked at her mother "when is daddy coming back? Flopsy's nearly out of all the hugs and kisses he out in her"

"We don't know when daddy will be home baby" said Lydia "But I'm sure Flopsy will not run out of hugs before he gets back"

"Ok" she said, satisfied with the answer "But who are they?"

"Uhh, well, guys, wanna come over here?" asked Lydia. Adam and Barbara slowly walked over to the pair and awkwardly stood there. Victoria had finished her drink and was looking at the Maitlands with curiosity. 

"You look like a Barbie Doll" she said, looking Barbara dead in the eyes. Barbara smiled and Adam nudged her in the arm, whispering something in her ear "You're really pretty too"

"Thank you" said Barbara, feeling her heart swell with love for the girl she'd just met. Victoria yawned and hugged Flopsy to her chest.

"Bed time missY" said Lydia, going over to Victoria and picking her up. The child made no protests and just waved sleepily at the Maitlands as her mother carried her upstairs. "We'll talk tomorrow" called Lydia as she walked out of the kitchen "Night guys"


	3. Attempting to explain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia introduces her youngest daughter to the Maitlands

Lydia woke up the next morning with Victoria curled up against her chest. She smiled at her sleeping daughter and brushed her light brown hair out of her face. Victoria was different to her siblings. She had inherited a mix of Liams brown hair and Lydia's blonde hair, unlike her siblings dark brown hair, and looked exactly like Lydia when she was her age. Gently, Lydia kissed Victoria's forehead and tried to slip away but Victoria opened her eyes.

'G'morning mummy' she said sleepily. 

'Hi baby' said Lydia, reaching over to the other side of the bed and grabbing Flopsy, handing the rabbit to her daughter 'I was going to go see what I could find for breakfast, want to join me?'

'Sure' she wrapped her small arms around Lydia's neck and clung to her tightly like a koala. Lydia held her close as they walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Victoria wriggled out of her mothers grasp and sat on one of the chair at the dining table. 'Mummy, who were those people last night?'

'Oh, umm' Lydia trailed off as she heard the heavy footsteps of her two older children coming downstairs 'I'll explain later, just don't mention it to Lex and Will, ok?' she nodded and stuck one of the rabbits ears in her mouth. Alex and Will stumbled into the kitchen a minuet later, both half asleep, and fell into chairs. 

'Mum, I'm hungry' said Will. Alex grunted in agreement, her head on the table. 

'Ok, you two had better wake up pretty quickly, your grandparents are coming over today' said Lydia, placing 2 bowls of cereal infront of her oldest kids and a piece of toast infront of Victoria. 

'Thanks mummy!' said Victoria. The other 2 children grunted in thanks and started eating slowly.

'Which grandparents?' asked Will

'Grandma and Grandpa' said Lydia, sitting down and eating a piece of toast too 'But we're going to visit your Gran and aunts soon'

'Cool' muttered Will, finishing his cereal

'But its only you and Lex that are going with them' said Lydia 'They're taking you to see your school, and buy the uniform'

'I still can't believe we have to wear uniform' muttered Alex 'Its so unfair'

'They changed the rules' shrugged Lydia. 'Tori and I are staying here and will supervise the movers bringing all the stuff inside. I'm deciding who get whats room, no complaints and if you don't like it, deal with it'

'Mum, I heard footsteps from the roof last night' said Alex 'Well, it sounded like the attic, but the attic is locked'

'It's the ghosts that live here' smirked Will. Alex's eyes widened and she stared at her mother, who laughed 

'There are no ghosts, its just the wind or old junk my parents left here. Don't stress' she checked her watch 'Quickly go get changed, they'll be here any second' Alex pushed her half finished bowl of cereal away and got up, followed by Will. Just as they'd disappeared at the top of the stairs, the doorbell rung. 

'Come on mummy!'exclaimed Victoria, hopping off her chair and running to the door, jumping to reach the handle. Lydia followed and opened the door for her. Victoria shot out the door and clung onto the first pair of legs she found, which was Delias. 'Grandma!' she said happily. 

'Hey Vicky' said Delia, reaching down and picking her up. 'You've grown since we last saw you' Victoria grinned happily and hugged her grandmother. Lydia hugged her father and led them inside. Victoria made grabby movements at Charles and he swung her into his arms. 

'Hey Vick, where are your brother and sister?' asked Charles, kissing his granddaughters nose

'Getting dressed' said Victoria 

'Want to go get them sweetheart, tell them to hurry up?' asked Lydia. Victoria nodded and as soon as Charles had put her down, she ran upstairs. Lydia looked at her parents and sighed 'We discovered something last night'

'What?' asked Delia 

'Tori can see the Maitlands' she said with a sigh 'And I think that Lex and Will can to, since they said they could hear footsteps in the attic last night'

'Have you told them?' asked Charles 'About the history of this house?'

'No' said Lydia 'Lex and Will might've figured it out, but I haven't told them'

'You should' said Delia 'Especially since Tori probably can't keep the secret' Lydia reluctantly nodded. 

'I'll do it once you guys leave, we'll see how this goes down' there were footsteps and Alex ran downstairs wearing a pair of black leggings with a fox jumper and white high-tops. Will had Victoria on his back and he was wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a red jumper. Victoria was giggling happily as her brother ran downstairs. 

'Hey Grandma, Grandpa' said Alex, hugging Delia and Charles. Lydia grabbed Victoria off her sons back and swung her onto her hip. 

'You guys ready to head out?' asked Delia, hugging Will tightly. They nodded 'We'll be back sometime Lydia, have a good day.'

'Bye guys' Lydia kissed her children on the head and hugged her parents 'Be good please?'

'Yes mum' they groaned, before dragging their grandparents out the door. 

'Have a good day sweetheart' called Charles, as he shut the door behind them. Lydia turned to Victoria. 

'Tori, want to go see the people we saw last night?' asked Lydia. Victoria nodded and they set off upstairs. When they reached the attic, Lydia put Victoria down and gently knocked on the door. 

'Come in Lydia' called Barbara's voice. Lydia opened the door and led Victoria inside. 'Hey sweetheart, how are you?' asked Barbara, putting the book she was reading to the side. 

'Hey Barb' said Lydia, picking Victoria up again and handing her Flopsy 'Can you wake Adam up?' Barbara laughed and shook her husband awake. Adam sleepily sat up and waved at Lydia.

'Whats up?' asked Barbara. Lydia sat down on one of the many beanbags she'd put in the attic as a teenager and set her daughter on her lap. 

'Ahh, well, I figured we'd introduce you to Victoria' said Lydia, bouncing the 3 year old slightly. 'Tori, this is Barbara and Adam, can you say hi?'

'Hi' said Victoria shyly, waving at the Maitlands. 

'Hi Victoria' said Barbara kindly. Victoria smiled and hopped off Lydia's lap, walking over to Adam and Barbara. 

'This is Flopsy' she said, showing them her stuffed bunny 'My daddy gave me him when I was a baby. But daddy's out fighting bad people, he's a super hero.' she cocked her head to the side to look at Barbara 'You look a bit like him'

'Tori bear, we should tell you something' said Lydia. She got up and sat next to Barbara, pulling Victoria onto her lap. 'So, you know how daddy has 3 older sisters?'

'Yeah, one who is above the clouds and aunty Sam and aunty Hannah' said Victoria nodding 

'Well, Barbara is daddy's older sister' said Lydia. Victoria looked at Barbara curiously 

'So daddy has four older sisters?' asked Victoria 

'No baby, Barbara's his oldest sister' said Lydia. Victoria scrunched up her face in confusion.

'But you said she was above the clouds... that she was dead, like Grandma Emily' said Victoria, looking between Barbara and Lydia. Lydia ran a hand through her hair and looked at Victoria 

'She is dead, but she's a ghost' said Lydia. Wondering if the three year olds mind could comprehend the fact that she was meeting her dead aunt and uncle. 

'Wait... you're a ghost?' asked Victoria after a moment, looking at Barbara and Adam 'Both of you?'

'Yup' said Barbara, linking her hand with Adams. 

'Thats so cool!' said Victoria, she climbed off Lydia's lap and walked over to stand infront of Adam. 'So who are you? I know your name is Adam'

'I'm Barbara's husband, so technically your uncle' said Adam. 

'My uncle...' Victoria looked over at Lydia with a huge grin on her face 'Mummy, I have another auntie and uncle'

'Yes you do baby, yes you do'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will focus less on Lydia and more on Victoria as she gets to know the Maitlands.  
> I am debating writing a story about how Lydia came to living in her parents old house again and like her kids when they were younger, what do you think? Would you read it?


	4. A fun day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria spends the day with the Maitlands to get to know them better.

Downstairs a doorbell rang. Lydia looked at Victoria and saw her grinning at the Maitlands. It was the happiest her daughter had looked for a long time and it made her really happy. 

'Hey, Tori bear, wanna stay up here and get to know the Maitlands a little more? I'll be right downstairs but stay up here, tell them more about daddy' she kissed her daughters small cheek and left the attic with a smile. 

'So, Victoria is it?' asked Barbara, smiling at the small child. 

'Mummy calls me Tori Bear. Lexi and Will call me Tori. Gran calls me Tori Boo. Grandma and Grandpa call me Vicky and Vick. And daddy calls me his little pixie' she grinned at the Maitlands and climbed up onto the couch in between them. 'What are your nicknames?'

'Oh well' Barbara looked at Adam and giggled 'Adam calls me Barbie or Barbie Doll. I've been called Babs and B-town, but mostly I'm Barbara or Barb' she lightly nudged Victoria in the side, making the girl giggle 'I don't have as many cool nicknames as you'

'What about you?' asked Victoria, turning to Adam.

'Yeah, what about you?' smirked Barbara, looking at her husband with a smile.

'I'm boring, I'm mostly Adam. Sometimes A-dog, sometimes Ad. Thats it' he smiled 'Oh and your mum used to call me her Plaid Dad, because of my shirt. But thats her being weird' 

'Hmm, well...' Victoria put a hand on her chin and looked at the Maitlands 'I'm calling you' she sharply turned her head to Barbara 'Barbsy. and you' she looked at Adam, who jumped 'Adam'

'Doesn't he get a nickname?' asked Barbara

'I need time to think of one' said Victoria 'But he does get a hug' she climbed onto Adam's lap and hugged him tightly. 'Don't worry, you'll have a nickname soon. I just need time to think of a good one' 

'Thank you' said Adam 'I'll wait'

'You're too cute Victoria' said Barbara, smiling at her husband and the small child, letting herself imagine for a moment that it was their child who was sitting on his lap and not their niece. 

'Wait!' said Victoria 'I need a nickname from you'

'Hmm' Barbara studied her with thought 'Adam, any ideas?'

'Toria' said Adam. 

'I love it' squealed Victoria, throwing her arms around Adam's neck and hugging him tightly. Adam smiled and hugged her back. Then, Victoria pulled away and looked at Adam 'Mummy taught me that I have to say Thank you when people give me something. So thank you for my nickname' 

'You're welcome' said Adam, hugging her again and smiling at Barbara over the three year olds head. 

'So, Toria, you ticklish?' asked Barbara. Victoria lifted her head off Adam's shoulder and turned to look at her with wide eyes.

'N-no' she said with a guilty smile 

'Adam, how about we test that theory' said Barbara and Adam nodded.

'No!' squealed Victoria, hopping off Adam's lap and diving into the pile of beanbags, attempting to hide in them. The Maitlands smirked at each other walked over to the big black and white beanbag (that'd once been Beetlejuice's) and sat down either side of it.

'Y'know Adam, I really like this black and white one' said Barbara

'Same Barbara' Adam noticed the beanbag shaking a little 'A shame Toria isn't here to see it'

'Where did she go anyway?' asked Barbara, they could hear the little girls laughter from underneath the beanbag. 'Oh well, lets just take this over to the other side of the attic' Adam lifted the bean bag up to reveal Victoria curled up underneath on a purple one.

'Toria!' said Adam. Victoria scrambled to her feet and tried to run away, only to have Barbara grab her round the waist and lift her into the air. 

'Caught you!' she smiled, swinging the little girl onto her hip 

'No tickles' giggled Victoria looking at Barbara 'Please no tickles'

'We won't tickle you yet' said Barbara 'We'll wait for your mum to help us' Victoria's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. Barbara laughed 'Don't worry. You can relax sweetheart, we won't do anything' Victoria nodded and laid her head on Barbara's shoulder yawning slightly. 

'Wanna just sit and talk?' asked Adam, noticing the little girls exhaustion. Victoria sleepily nodded and she wrapped her tiny arms around Barbara's neck too, making sure Flopsy was still safe under her arms too. Barbara smiled and walked over to the couch, sitting down on it and Adam joining her. Victoria smiled and snuggled into Barbara's chest, sticking one of Flopsy's ears in her mouth and closing her eyes.

Lydia flopped onto the couch with a sigh. The movers had finally left. They'd been so helpful and moved all the stuff into the appropriate rooms, but Lydia was still exhausted. Delia had texted her to let her know they'd be back in 20 minutes and Lydia decided to use that time to convince Victoria not to tell her siblings about the Maitlands. Slowly and tiredly, she climbed the familiar path up to the attic and knocked on the door.

'Come in Lyd' said Barbara. Lydia opened the door and saw Victoria sitting on Adam's lap, showing him a drawing on a piece of paper. Victoria spotted her and ran to her. 

'Mummy!' she exclaimed, throwing herself at her mothers legs. 

'Hey sweetheart' said Lydia, picking her up and walking over to the couch. 'What've you guys been up to?'

'We were drawing' said Victoria, reaching over to Adam and taking the drawing from him 'Look, this is us. Thats you, Barbsy, Adam, Lexi, Will, Grandma, Grandpa, Gran and Daddy' she pointed to the different people with a proud smile on her face.

'Thats beautiful sweetheart' said Lydia. She kissed Victoria on the nose and looked at the Maitlands, who were smiling at her. 'I hope she wasn't too much trouble'

'Oh none at all' said Barbara 'She's wonderful. Very entertaining'

'I'll introduce you to Lex and Will some other time. Lex'll probably be terrified and Will won't believe me so I'll have to ease them into it. Dad and Delia are coming over, want me to send them up here?' 

'You guys have family time' said Adam 'We'll be ok up here'

'Ok, thanks you guys so much. Tori looks like she had a lot of fun' she stood up and walked towards the door.

'Wait' Victoria scrambled out of her mothers arms and ran over to the Maitlands, hugging each of them tightly. 'Thank you for spending time with me'

'You're welcome sweetie' said Barbara, feeling her heart swell with love for the young girl. Victoria smiled and waved at them before running back to Lydia and walking out of attic. Lydia smiled at the Maitlands before closing the door behind her. 


	5. Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia spends some time with her parents and oldest kids.

'Dad! Hey, how'd it go?' asked Lydia, as she walked downstairs and saw only her father in the living room 'Did you lose Delia and the kids?'

'No' laughed Charles 'They're in the kitchen putting the shopping away' 

'Shopping?' asked Lydia. Charles nodded 'Thank you Dad, you didn't have to' 

'It was no problem sweetheart' said Charles 'How'd it go here?' 

'It went fine' said Lydia 'Tori, tell grandpa who you met'

'Barbsy and Adam from the attic' said Victoria, lifting her head sleepily off Lydia's shoulder 'They're really nice. And they're my aunt and uncle' her eyes grew heavy and soon she was fast asleep on Lydia's shoulder.

'She's met them then?' said Charles as the two of them walked into the kitchen

'Yup' said Lydia 'Hit off straight away. They love her and she loves them even more'

'Thats good' said Charles 'It'll be good for her to have people around. And they can probably take her off your hands during the day'

'True' said Lydia. In the kitchen doorway, Lydia stopped her father 'Listen, Lex and Will don't know about the Maitlands or Beej. I'm working out how to tell them. Just please don't mention it'

'Ok sweetheart' said Charles. He kissed her forehead and walked into the kitchen followed by Lydia. 'Hey guys, how's it going?'

'Good' said Alex from her perch on the kitchen bench 'We finished putting stuff away and now we're making afternoon tea'

'Oh what is it?' asked Lydia

'Fruit platter with melted chocolate' said Delia 'Not exactly healthy but oh well'

'Sounds lovely Delia' said Lydia. She sat down at the table and adjusted Victoria a little. 'How was today?'

'Good' said Alex 'I'm allowed to wear shorts or skorts which is amazing' said Alex 'and then you its just the school polo shirt, which is just navy blue. Whatever shoes we want as long as they're in closed and appropriate. Its not as bad as I thought it'd be'

'Thats good honey' said Lydia 'So we'll be getting you new shoes or no?'

'I'll see' said Alex.

'Ok. Will how about you?' asked Lydia

'Good. Same as Lex apart from the fact that I don't have to wear skorts' said Will, going over to his grandmother and stealing a bit of the banana she was cutting up. 'Why's Tori asleep again?'

'Because she's young' said Lydia. Will nodded and stole another bit of banana.

Will, Alex and Victoria were all currently checking out their new bedrooms and were arranging them in the way they wanted, or in Victoria's case trying to shove as many as your teddys on your bed as possible. 

'How should I tell them about the Maitlands?' asked Lydia, looking at her parents, who were staying to help Lydia put the kids to bed. 

'Just tell them?' suggested Charles 'Be like, hey! our house it haunted by my second parents.'

'No' said Lydia 'You know those 2, they'd never believe me' 

'True' said Charles. They sat in silence before Delia clapped her hands together, making Lydia and Charles jump and look at her.

'Oops sorry' she said, grinning at the startled father/daughter duo 'How about you just send them into the attic to put a couple of boxes up there. If they see the Maitlands, they see them and you explain, if they don't... then we'll work something out' 

'That... could work' said Lydia slowly, nodding and looking at Delia 'Delis! Thats amazing. Thank you so much. This could definitely work. I'll do it tomorrow after and we'll work from there.' she hugged her step-mother

'You're welcome dear' said Delia 'Want me to go give Vicky her bath?'

'That'd be amazing. Thank you' said Lydia gratefully. Delia chuckled and walked upstairs. Lydia turned to her father and sighed 'Dad, how am I going to do this?'

'Do what sweetheart?' asked Charles

'This' said Lydia, gesturing around the room at large 'Look after this massive house, 3 kids, write a novel and keep up with my photography requests'

'Come here cupcake' said Charles. Lydia smiled and snuggled into her fathers side on the couch. Charles ran a hand over his now fully grey beard and looked at his daughter 'Y'know, you look so much like your mother'

'She had blonde hair' said Lydia

'Actually, when we met she was a brunette' said Charles. Lydia's eyes widened

'Why did you never tell me?' she asked 'Its been 33 years of me alive on this planet and neither of you thought to tell me?' she shook her head 'Thats bad parenting dad' slowly her smile slipped into a look of worry and Charles stroked his daughters hair. 

'Lydia, I know this is stressful for you. With Liam away and all of the kids being at challenging ages. But you can do this' Lydia raised an eye brow at him 'You can, and you have Adam and Barb. They'll help you.'

'I think I'll be fine' said Lydia 'I just wish that I knew when Liam was coming back' 

'He'll come back' said Charles 'I promise' 

'But how do you know that?' asked Lydia, sitting up and looking at her father. 'How do you _know_ that?' tears welled in her eyes 'Dad, you don't understand how hard it is. Having the constant fear of unknowing and the uncertainty of whether or not your husband will come home. If the last kiss you ever received from him was the last. Not know what to tell your kids when they ask when their dad will be back. You've never experienced that dad. Yes, I know mum died from cancer but at least once she was gone, she was gone. Gone... forever. But I don't know where Liam is. No one does. They haven't contacted me in months and I haven't heard anything from him. I just... don't think I can cope with losing anyone else...' she let out a sob

'Lydia, I know' said Charles sadly. Lydia pressed her hands over her face, trying to muffle her cries so her children didn't hear. Charles shifted closer to her and wrapped her up in a tight hug. Lydia buried her head in her fathers shoulder and just cried. Charles did nothing but gently rock back and fourth and rub her back, knowing that every now and again everyone needed a good cry. 

'Sorry dad' giggled Lydia, pulling away and looking at her fathers shoulder, which was covered in tears and saliva 'I think your shirt needs a wash'

'No biggie sweetheart' said Charles 'Feeling better?'

'Well, I'm still worried but I think I needed that' she wiped her eyes and saw the black on her hands 'Ugh, I gotta go wash my face before the kids see me' she stood up and Charles did too, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

'Delia and I'll do bedtime tonight' he said 'Go relax or see Adam and Barb. We'll sort it out. Take a night off. I'll come to you if anything happens but they're good kids, they listen'

'Really?' asked Lydia. Charles nodded 'Thank you so much'

'Its alright sweetie, I know everyone needs a night off' they walked upstairs together.

'You know where their bedrooms are?' asked Lydia. 'Tori's in my old room, Wills in Delia's old office and Lexi's in your old office'

'You gave them big rooms' laughed Charles 

'They're good kids, and they're coping with everything so well. They deserve it' Lydia hugged her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 'Thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it' 

'No worries sweetheart' said Charles, 'Relax for a while, we'll come tell you when they're in bed' Lydia smiled and opened the door to her bedroom. Charles waved at her and went to go get his grandchildren. Lydia went to one of the boxes on the floor and unpacked all her photo albums. There were ones of her mother, her father, her children, her husband and a few of the Maitlands which she kept with herself. That night, Lydia curled up in bed and looked through photos, trying to not think of the fact that she hadn't heard news of her husband for months. 


	6. MUM! THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Will explore their new house more and discover that it is haunted by a ghostly couple

Lydia was reading a book on gardening that Barbara had given Delia. She was planning on growing vegetables and maybe more fruit trees (the ones Barbara had planted all those years ago were still alive). She heard footsteps and saw Alex trudging downstairs, tugging on her favourite jumper.

"Hey Alex" she said "What are you planning on doing today?" 

"You're reading a gardening book?" scoffed Alex, sitting down on the sofa next to Lydia and grabbing her shoes from next to it.

"I think it'd be nice to start a garden" said Lydia, she looked at the shoes "I told you to put them in your room last night"

"Yeah... that was never gonna happen" said Alex. Lydia rolled her eyes and put the book to the side. 

"What are you gonna do today?" she asked 

"Will wants to explore the house more" said Alex, standing up "We didn't get to look at very much these past two days"

"Ok, but please be safe, this house is fairly old" 

"I know" groaned Alex, standing up and quickly kissing Lydia on the cheek "I'll go get him and we're checking out the basement" she started running off, being very heavy footed over the place where the Maitlands had fallen to the early deaths. 

"Please be careful" said Lydia. She went back to her book and a little while later, her kids came running downstairs, jumping off the stairs and landing on the floorboards "Guys, gentle with the floor" she called 

"Stop being boring" said Will. They walked to the basement door and went down into it. Lydia listened out for any reactions but only heard their muffled voices. She went back to her book and not even a minuet later, there was a scream from her daughter and she ran out of the basement.

"MUM!" she yelled, sprinting up the stairs and jumping onto the couch next to Lydia. "Mum, Wills being awful" 

"What'd he do?" asked Lydia, stroking her daughter brown hair 

"Well there was this like red stain on the floor and he said it was blood" said Alex. Lydia tried to contain her worry. She'd forgotten the remains of the Maitlands deaths were still down there. She hadn't ever wanted to look at it, so she'd put a piece of carpet over it. Apparently someone had taken it away. "He said it was from a murder that took place here long ago... and that the person who was murdered still haunts this house" 

"He's wrong sweetheart" said Lydia. There was high pitched laughter and Will emerged from the basement laughing his head off. "Will, don't scare your sister"

"You shoulda seen her face" said Will. Alex poked her tongue out at him. Lydia sighed and kissed Alex on her head. 

"You two run along and explore. We'll discuss this issue later" she patted her on the back and they ran off. Lydia was going to go back to reading her book but remembered that Victoria had asked her to fill up her tea pot for a tea party. Lydia grabbed the plastic tea pot up off the coffee table and went into the kitchen. She decided her daughter could settle for apple juice as tea. She poured it in and made sure to water it down a little. Then, just before heading back upstairs, decided Victoria could have a few biscuits too. Just as she was putting the biscuits on the plate, there was a loud yell from the upper floor of the house and heavy footsteps. 

"MUM!" screamed Alex and Will, sprinting into the kitchen and skidding to a halt infront of their mother

"MUM! THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED!" screamed Alex, straight into her mothers face. Lydia put a hand over Alex's mouth and the other over Will's to stop him from commenting. 

"I know" said Lydia. Alex and Will's eyes widened and Lydia laughed "You two seem to forget that I grew up here" 

"Wait" said Will "The ghosts were here when you were younger?" he asked 

"Yes" said Lydia "Although they were recently deceased then, they aren't anymore though" 

"C-can you see them too?" asked Alex 

"Yes" said Lydia "I have been able to since I moved here when I was a teenager"

"Damn their old ghosts" exclaimed Will and Alex snorted. 

"Thanks Will" said Lydia dryly. "Do you want to meet them properly or not?"

"Uhh..." Alex looked uncertain but Will wasn't 

"YES!" he said, then added "They're not gross" in a disappointed tone

"They are the least gross people I've ever met" Lydia cupped her hands around her mouth "ADAM! BARB! COME DOWN HERE!" then she added "AND BRING TORI TOO!" 

"Tori knows about them?" asked Will "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know how you'd react" said Lydia. 

"Their names are Adam and Barb?" asked Alex 

"Well, Barbara, but yeah" said Lydia 

"Are they the people you wrote your book about?" she asked. Lydia nodded. 

"This is so weird" muttered Alex. Lydia laughed and then she heard her youngest daughters giggles. The Maitlands entered with Victoria walking behind them. 

"Mummy! Adam and Barbsy said you wanted me" she said, running over to Lydia and hugging her legs.

"Yes" said Lydia. "I have your tea pot ready, but first you need to stay here for a small explanation I'm giving your siblings" Victoria nodded and looked around at everyone. Lydia looked up at the Maitlands and saw them looking at Will and Alex in awe.

"They've grown" said Barbara 

"That does happen over 6 years of not seeing someone" laughed Lydia "But yes, they have. They're no longer my little babies any more" 

"I AM!" said Victoria. Lydia laughed and picked her up 

"I know you are baby" she kissed her and looked around at everyone "Alex, Will, I'd like you to meet Adam and Barbara Maitland, resident ghosts of this house and... your dead aunt and uncle" 

"Hold up" said Will, looking between the Maitlands and his mother "She" he pointed at Barbara "Is dads dead sister?"

"Yup" said Lydia "and don't point, its rude" Will lowered his hand slowly. 

"So this is our aunt we never got to meet?" asked Alex "And our uncle?"

"Yes" said Lydia "They died when your dad was 15"

"Ooh, how?" asked Will. He saw the look on his mothers face "Sorry mum"

"Guys wanna explain or not?" she asked, looking at the Maitlands. Barbara nodded and took Adams hand. It still hurt them to talk about their deaths but they could push through it for their families sake. 

"Its not as amazing as you might be imagining" said Barbara "all we did was fail to realise that the floorboards were breaking and we just fell through them one afternoon."

"Oh my god..." gasped Alex, covering her mouth

"Cool" said Will 

"Will" scolded Lydia "Be a little compassionate" 

"It's alright Lyd" said Barbara "He reminds me of Beej"

"Who's Beej?" asked Will and Victoria

"There's another ghost in this house?" asked Alex faintly 

"Beej is our resident demon" said Adam, he looked at Lydia "Wanna summon him?"

"Might as well" said Lydia, she raised her head to the ceiling and yelled "BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE!" Alex and Will shared a look that clearly meant ' _our mum is mad_ '. However there was a poof and a demon with green hair and a black and white striped grubby suit appeared.

"You called Lyd?"


	7. This is so confusing

"AHHHHHHHH!" screamed Alex, she ran to the other side of the kitchen and crouched behind the bench the best she could. Will was staring at Beetlejuice with an open mouth. Victoria looked scared at first but then noticed his green hair.

"Lexi he's not scary" said Victoria, looking at Beetlejuice and pointing to his hair "He's got green hair, he can't be that scary" Barbara snorted and Adam chuckled. Beetlejuice raised his eyebrows at Lydia

"Lyd, who's this little ball or sass that thinks just because I have green hair I'm not scary"

"If you scare her Beej, you're dead" said Lydia, adjusting Victoria on her hip "But this is Victoria, my youngest daughter" she looked at Victoria "can you say hello to Beej?"

"Hi Beej" said Victoria, then she tilted her head to the side to get a different angle of him "Is that your real name or a nickname?"

"Nickname" said Beetlejuice slowly, staring at Victoria in interest, also tilting his head to the side "but it's nicer than my real name"

"I like it" said Victoria, giggling slightly "It's silly, just like you"

"I like this one," said Beetlejuice. He looked over at Alex and said "is she like somehow related to Babs and Sexy? She can't be yours, much too scared" he glanced at Barbara "She radiates Babs vibes"

"That is Alexandra Barbara Davey" said Lydia, putting Victoria down and going over to her oldest daughter "Don't you remember I'm married to Barb's brother?"

"Oh that Liam guy" said Beetlejuice "Yeah, he was funny. Nice guy. Where is he though, got sick of you?"

"He's in the army" said Lydia, rolling her eyes and pulling Alex over to the rest of the strange gathering in the kitchen "Do you not remember anything?"

"It's been a long time Lyd" shrugged Beetlejuice "I haven't seen ya since you were as big as a boat"

"I think pregnant is the word you're looking for" said Lydia. Will snorted.

"Mum, who is this?" asked Will, still snickering a little at the demon's boat comment "Because whoever he is, why didn't you tell me you had such cool friends?"

"I like this kid" said Beetlejuice, he grew an extra hand and high-fived Will. Alex's eyes widened and she slid further behind Lydia. "He's cool"

"Beej, can we keep the tricks to a minimum?" asked Lydia, pulling Alex out from behind her "This one seems to have inherited her aunts personality, but also is sarcastic"

"Wait, so know you're related to Babs and Sexy too?" asked Beetlejuice

"By marriage" said Lydia "and technically Adam and I aren't related because we both married into the family" she patted Alex on the shoulders "But this one has inherited Barbara's fear"

"Hey!" said both Alex and Barbara, both looking at Lydia with the same facial expression. Beetlejuice, Lydia, Adam and Will laughed at the two females, Victoria was just standing next to the Maitlands watching everything with curiosity.

"You two are similar" laughed Beetlejuice. He looked at Will "What's your name?"

"Will" said Will, he looked at Lydia "Mum can I dye my hair like that?"

"No," said Lydia. Will pouted and Beetlejuice grinned. "Right, Alex, Will, Tori this is Beej. He is our resident demon. Yes I grew up with 2 ghosts and a demon Yes I didn't tell you, I'm sorry"

"You grew up with a demon?" asked Alex faintly "Oh my god. Ghosts I'm ok with, but a demon?"

"I'm the ghost with the most," said Beetlejuice. Alex nodded and looked around "I'm just going up to my room. Dead aunt and uncle, it was nice and strange to meet you, demon I don't even know what to think of you" she walked out of the room and up to her bedroom, slamming the door shut. 

"She is like you Babs" said Beetlejuice. Barbara smiled at him and looked at Lydia "You gonna go check on her?" 

"Mum says we gotta give Lexi space" said Victoria, tugging on Barbara's dress and holding her arms up in gesture of a pick up "'cause she's getting older and will want more space. Up please Barbsy"

"In other words... she's moody" said Will, giggling

"Leave your sister alone" said Lydia "This is a lot to process and its probably not helping that she's living in the house that her dads dead sister died in" she looked at the Maitlands, who looked a little sad until Victoria pulled a silly face "Sorry guys"

"It's fine" said Barbara, putting Victoria on her hip and looking at Lydia "Do you need help with anything? You said Will and Alex started school tomorrow, want me to help make dinner tonight? Look after Tori?"

"Can you go talk to Alex?" asked Lydia 

"Uhh... is that a good idea?" asked Will 

"She needs to get to know you, and I think you two would get along. She's like dad and pushes her real feelings away. You managed to get dad out of his shell, maybe you can do it to her too"

"I'll try" said Barbara. She handed Victoria to Adam, who lifted her onto his shoulders "But I dunno how this'll go"

"She just needs to warm up to you a little" said Lydia "and I know you are the best person to talk to her, since you understand feelings well"

"Well, I'm not too sure about that" muttered Barbara "Delia's probably better to do that with"

"No" said Will "Grandma tried, so did dad, grandpa, gran, mum, me, Tori, Sam, Hannah... Lexi's stubborn"

"Reminds me of someone I know" said Barbara, looking at Lydia "Adam, Beej you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah" said Adam "Very familiar"

"Oh 100%" said Beetlejuice

"You guys are mean" said Lydia. Barbara smiled and walked upstairs. 

"Sexy, go show mini Lyd the second and mini Lyd the third your hideout" said Beetlejuice "I need to catch up with my bestie"

"Mini Lyd?" asked Will

"Go on" said Beetlejuice, then he whispered in the boys ear "I'll dye you're hair when your mums not being a Maitland. Go on, have fun" Will grinned and ran upstairs, followed by a giggling Victoria and Adam, who was shooting her concerned looks. 

"Whats up Lyd?" asked Beetlejuice, sitting down at the kitchen table and looking at his best friend "I can tell you're not your normal self, you can spill the beans to old BJ"

"I have so much work to do" said Lydia, slumping into a seat and putting her head in her hands "I have a book to write, a thousand photography projects, a new house to organise and three hyper active children to look after" she took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eyes "And Liam hasn't been in contact for months"


	8. Talks

**In Alex's bedroom:  
** Barbara slowly climbed the steps up to the first floor of the house. She looked around and realised just how different the house was from when they were alive. The wallpaper had gone and was replaced with paint, which admittedly looked better. But it still was a little strange to walk through the familiar halls and not see a certain panting hanging somewhere and instead seeing a small shelf holding a crystal (Lydia was hopefully going to take them down). 

She stopped infront of what was Charles old office, and years ago what had been her and Adam's upstairs living room. It was a small cozy room that had a whole wall that was bookshelf's. When they'd lived there they'd had to chairs infront of the fire place and a massive pile of blankets. But when the Deetz moved in Charles had put a couch and chairs infront of the fire and a desk in the fair corner instead of the cabinet where Barbara kept her grandmothers precious china. 

"Alex?" she gently knocked on the door, hoping to not scare the young girl any more. "Alex its Barbara, can I come in?"

"I guess" came the 11 year olds reply. Barbara smiled and pushed the door open. Alex was sitting on her bed, which was on the far side of the room, and was reading a book. Barbara gently shut the door behind her and looked over at her niece. 

"What are you reading?" asked Barbara, walking over and standing a little way away from the bed.

"Oh its mums book" said Alex, putting the bookmark in and passing the book to the ghost. "Its about her when she was younger and when she moved into this house" 

"Oh she was telling us about this" said Barbara, flicking through the books pages "Have you read it before?"

"No" said Alex, taking the book back and putting it on the floor next to her "Mum said it was a little too old for me. But I think since I live in this house I should be allowed to read about it" she looked at Barbara with a scared and curious expression "So... you're really a... y'know... ghost?"

"Unfortunately" said Barbara, fiddling with one of the strings on her dress

"And you're my aunt?" asked Alex after a few moments of silence 

"Yes" said Barbara, smiling a little

"So you know my dad?" asked Alex

"Very well" said Barbara

"What was he like?" asked the young girl in an almost pleading tone, begging for more information on her father. Barbara stared off at the bookshelves in thought "Oh and you can sit down if you want"

"Thank you" said Barbara, she sat down at the end of Alex's bed and looked at her niece, who was smiling "So what do you want to know?"

**In the attic:**  
"You live up here?" asked Will, looking around the spacious attic. Adam nodded and set Victoria down on a beanbag "Thats so cool. Its awesome up here"

"Its not too bad" said Adam. He looked around and smiled "Want me to show you two something special? Only Barb and I know about this. Can I trust you with the secret?"

"Yes" said Will and Victoria, rushing over to Adam and looking at him "What is it?"

"Well, there's a secret room"

"No way" breathed Will "Where?"

"Its over in the far end of the attic, where the roof gets smaller and the light doesn't shine" they all walked there together 

"That sounded like an adventure book" said Will, he spotted the door in the far corner "found it!"

"Go on in" said Adam. Will opened the door and went in. Adam reached his hand in and flipped the light switch on. The room was larger than expected, but still relatively small. There were books, a box, a pile of blankets and bean bags there. 

"This place is awesome" said Will, flopping onto the blankets "what'd you guys use it for?"

"It was Barb's sulking place" said Adam, closing the door "First time she went up here I couldn't find her for hours and hours. Scared me to death" 

"Can we redecorate?" asked Will, looking around "Definitely needs some posters, maybe a TV with a gaming console attached, some movies too"

"No" exclaimed Victoria "Fairy cave!"

"No" groaned Will "No more stupid fairy caves"

"They aren't stupid" said Victoria, stomping her foot and putting her hands on her hips, pouting at her older brother

"They are"

"Are not"

"Are too"

"Lets discuss this reasonably" said Adam

**In the kitchen:**  
"Do you think he's dead Beej?" asked Lydia. Then her head snapped up and she looked at Beetlejuice "Has he died?"

"No" said Beetlejuice firmly, reaching a hand out and placing it on Lydia's arm "Lyd, I promise he hasn't died"

"How do you know that?" asked Lydia 

"Lyd, I freaking run the netherworld, I think I'd know if your husband was dead" Lydia sniffed and Beetlejuice softened "C'mere Lyd" he opened his arms wide and Lydia flew into them, hugging the demon tightly. 

"I forgot how squishy you are" she mumbled into his neck. Beetlejuice laughed and hugged her tighter. 

"That better?" asked Beetlejuice after a solid 5 minutes of hugging. Lydia nodded and pulled away. Beetlejuice looked at his best friend in wonder. She'd changed from the 15 year old he'd tried to marry. She looked much more stressed, more stressed and tired than he'd ever seen her. "Lyd, want me to hang around more?"

"What do you mean?" asked Lydia

"You look absolutely exhausted" said Beetlejuice "Not to be mean or anything though, just being honest"

"It'd alright Beej" sighed Lydia "Yeh, I know I look dead on my feet... it's because I am." she ran a hand through her hair "Having Liam gone for this long has hit me hard. The most he's been gone is 6 months, but now with it being 9 months... it's taken a toll on me"

"Aww Scarecrow" Beetlejuice gripped one of her hands 

"Dad and Delia have helped me a lot, as well as Barb's mum Jill and her sisters. They took the kids when I had stuff to do. But I feel bad relying on others to help me. It makes me feel weak and venerable" 

"Well, I promise I'll be around here more" said Beetlejuice "I'll help you through whatever gets thrown our-way"

"You're the best" said Lydia, hugging Beetlejuice tightly again. 

By the end of the day the whole house hold was doing better. Beetlejuice had let Lydia take a well deserved nap and sat by her to make sure she was ok. Barbara and Alex had grown close and were happily cooking dinner together for everyone that evening. Adam had managed to settle the debate between the 2 siblings, by saying the room was going to be contributed to by everyone in the house (and by everyone he meant him and Barbara just splitting the space evenly). Meaning there could be a section with fairy lights and toys, but also a section with posters and a game. 

Dinner that evening was quite an event, but it was the most fun any of them had had for years. Barbara and Alex had made a wonderful dish of spaghetti and meat balls and chocolate chip cookies for desert, which was enjoyed by everyone. 

The family grew closer over the next few days, but then Monday came and they had to tackle their next big challenge. School.


	9. School

"How bad is the school here?" asked Alex, sitting down next to her mother

"I only went to high school here" said Lydia "Go ask Adam or Barbara" Alex got up and started to walk upstairs but was stopped by Lydia calling out to her again "Actually, I think Adam moved here when he was in like the second year of middle school, Barbara's your best bet"

"Kay! Thanks mum!" Alex raced off upstairs, leaving her mother laughing and going back to her computer. Alex walked into the attic and saw Adam sitting reading a book. "Adam I need your wife"

"I say that a lot" muttered Beetlejuice from his place on the ceiling "never works"

"Uhh... Barb?" Adam called out to the opposite side of the attic. The female ghost emerged from behind the wall carrying a box.

"Whats up sweetheart?" she asked, putting the box down

"Oh nothing" said Beetlejuice, flipping onto his back and looking at the Maitlands upside down "I'm fine"

"Alex wants to talk to you," said Adam. Barbara smiled at the young girl and looked back at her two boys.

"Ok, we'll go talk downstairs. Don't break anything and Beej, remember boundaries" she kissed Adam on the cheek "Love you"

"I love you too" said Adam

"I love you more"

"I love you most"

"Bleh, stop" said Beetlejuice, flipping over onto his stomach and gagging. The Maitlands laughed and Barbara walked off with Alex, blowing a kiss to Adam. They made their way to the young girl's bedroom and closed the door behind themselves.

"So, whats up?" asked Barbara

"What's school like here?" asked Alex, flopping onto her bed and looking at Barbara, who smiled and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Well, from what I remember and my experience, it was ok" said Barbara, crossing her legs and looking at her niece "I mean, I was teased in my first year of middle school but apart from that, I enjoyed school"

"You enjoyed it?" asked Alex, raising an eyebrow, making Barbara laugh

"I enjoyed it as much as it is possible to enjoy school" said Barbara "I mean yeah, sure it was hell at times, but it wasn't too bad"

"Because Adam was there?" teased Alex

"Once he arrived, it got better, but I didn't talk to him until 11th grade" said Barbara

"You two didn't talk at all?" asked Alex

"I mean we had hellos and goodbyes in class and in the hallways but we didn't properly talk until we had a drama project together" she smiled at the memory, which made Alex smile.

"How long have you two been married?" she asked, leaning into her pillows and looking at her dead aunt

"Well when we died it was going to be our 12th anniversary" said Barbara "So you can do the math, because I don't want to"

"Don't you count any more?" asked Alex, also not wanting to do maths

"We do" said Barbara "But time works differently when you're a ghost, so we when Charles and Delia moved out, we didn't have a proper way to keep an eye on the date"

"How does time move differently?" asked Alex

"Well, when we died we became ghosts and apparently it'd been a far few months since we died because your mum and grandparents were moving in"

"Oh wow" said Alex "That must've been weird"

"It was" agreed Barbara "But your mum was really nice, and eventually your grandparents warmed up to us"

"So you're just stuck here?" asked Alex

"Well, we could go to the Netherworld, which is the afterlife, but we wanted to stay here for Lydia and now for you guys too" Barbara smiled at Alex, who smiled back. They chatted for a bit longer and Alex wasn't so scared of school anymore. 

"Thanks for this Barbara" said Alex, standing up when Lydia shouted from downstairs for her to come down "It made me feel better"

"No problem sweetie" said Barbara, flicking her hand and making the door open "I'm glad I helped you" the two walked out of the door and were met by Adam, Will, Victoria and Beetlejuice also coming downstairs. 

"You good now Alex?" asked Adam, taking Barbara's hand in his own and giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

"Yes" nodded Alex. They all walked downstairs and saw Delia and Charles sitting on the couches talking to Lydia. 

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Alex and Will ran to hug their grandparents and Victoria scrambled off Beetlejuice's back and followed her siblings. 

"Hey guys" said Delia, hugging them tightly, then she spotted Beetlejuice, Adam and Barbara watching with smiles. "Adam! Barb! Beej! I haven't seen you guys in forever!"

"Hey Delia" said Adam “How have you been?”

“Good actually” said Delia “The cats finally adjusted to the new house”

“Oh how is Benny?” asked Barbara, coming downstairs and standing behind Lydia’s chair

“Oh he’s good, just missing you two for company”

“We miss him too,” said Barbara, putting a cold hand on the exposed area of Lydia’s back, making the woman jump. She turned around and looked at Barbara with a frown

“I thought you’d learned to control your body temperature”

“We have” giggled Barbara “I just wanted to surprise you”

“Well, maybe that's how you can wake up the kids in the morning when they’re lazy and don’t want to get up” said Lydia, looking pointedly at her daughter and son

“Oh Barb woke me up that way the other day” said Alex “I didn’t appreciate it”

“It was funny” said Barbara "I used to wake Adam up the same way"

"Her and her cold hands" sighed Adam "Not nice in the winter time, I'm telling you that much" 

"Anyway" said Charles, looking at his grandchildren "Ready for school tomorrow?"

"I dunno" said Will

"Yes" said Alex confidently. This made Barbara smile. The family settled down to have afternoon tea together and then decided to bring out some old board games. It was monopoly, Adam and Charles favourite. It was actually quite funny seeing the two men play against each other all these years later, and still see them being just as competitive as before. 

"Adam" groaned Alex, as she and Victoria, who was playing with her, got bankrupted by the ghost "No far" 

"Sorry" shrugged Adam, handing the dice to Lydia over his sulking wife, who'd already been bankrupted "Monopoly's the only thing I'm not kind with" Barbara nodded sadly in confirmation. 

"Meany" muttered Victoria. This made Lydia and Delia snort and go into a silent fit of giggles. Victoria crossed her arms and frowned at her mother and grandmother "It's not funny, Adam's a meany bum, in-fact..." she turned to look at the ghost "That is your nickname, meany bum"

"Victoria" said Lydia with a warning edge to her voice 

"Fine, just meany" said Victoria 

"Tori" said Lydia 

"Fine" groaned the three year old, flopping onto her grandfathers shoulder "Just Adam"

"Good girl" said Lydia, throwing the dice and moving her counter, only to land on her fathers biggest property "No!" 

"Cough up sweetheart" said Charles, holding his hands out. Lydia handed over all her money and shuffled her seat over to Beetlejuice's, planning on helping him. 

"Adam, Charles you two had better watch out" said Delia, looking at her grandson with a smile "He's just as good as you" 

"It's his father" said Barbara, Lydia looked at her "I told you about Liam didn't I? Him and Adam's competitions?"

"Oh yes you did" said Lydia "I'd love to see them 4 play against each other, it'd be quite entertaining" 

"It would" agreed Alex, then she yawned and so did her little sister.

"Bed time missy" said Lydia. "Barbara wanna come?"

"Sure" smiled Barbara "Why not"

"Ok, say goodnight guys" Alex and Victoria gave everyone at the table, excluding their brother, a kiss and a hug goodnight before Alex climbed the steps with her mother and Victoria looked sleepily up at Barbara. The female ghost gently picked up the child and carried her upstairs. Adam watched with a smile as the 3 year old laid her head on Barbara's shoulder and waved sleepily at them. 


	10. Bedtime

"So you convinced Lex that schools not too bad here?" asked Lydia, grabbing Victoria's toothbrush and putting toothpaste on it "Open up sweetie" 

"Yeah" said Barbara, leaning on the bathroom counter and smiling as Lydia brushed her daughters teeth "She seems fine with it now"

"She does" said Lydia, she laughed as Victoria wriggled her head out the way "I would've talked to her, but my highschool experience was not the best"

"You had fun didn't you?" asked Barbara, reaching out a hesitant hand and stroking Victoria's hair 

"Once I became friends with Liam" said Lydia "Before then I had no friends- Tori" she took the toothbrush out of her daughters mouth and looked at her "Sweetheart, if you want this over with quickly, you gotta stay still and not just bite down on the brush" 

"Mama" said Victoria in a muffled voice because of the toothpaste 

"Can I please brush them again?" Victoria shook her head and backed into Barbara's leg. Lydia smiled "What if Barb holds you? Then can I?" Victoria nodded and looked up at Barbara. The ghost leant down and picked the 3 year old up and put her on her hip. "Good girl" said Lydia. 

"Mum!" called Alex, knocking on the door "Can I come in?"

"Sure" said Lydia as Victoria spat in the sink before looking back at Barbara. Alex walked in and saw the three females in there

"Wow, who forgot to invite me to the bathroom party?" she joked, grabbing her toothbrush 

"Want us to leave you to it?" asked Barbara, picking up Victoria

"No, stay" said Alex, starting to brush her teeth.

"Hey Barb, you can braid" said Lydia, looking at Barbara, who was stroking Victoria's back gently 

"Yeah" said Barbara slowly 

"Want to do Tori's hair?" asked Lydia, taking two hair ties off her wrist "She loves it when she has wavy hair"

"Sure" said Barbara, she set Victoria on the counter and gently brushed her fingers through her hair "So, dutch or french?"

"French" said Victoria. Barbara nodded and gently started braiding the girls light brown hair. Alex spat her toothpaste out and looked at Barbara with a smile. It looked so natural for her. This whole thing just looked and felt so natural. 

Lydia was watching everything with a smile. Alex tried to take her hair out of its ponytail but the hair-tie got caught. "Mum? A little help?" Lydia laughed and gently helped her daughter, before grabbing a hairbrush and brushing the knots out of her hair. Two minutes went by and the two sisters had beautiful hair styles. Alex had her dark curtain of hair hanging by her shoulders, and Victoria had to beautiful braids. 

"Right, we'll go say goodnight to the others downstairs and then off to bed you two" said Lydia. Alex opened her mouth to protest "Uh- no. Your brother has to go to bed too, don't worry" Alex smiled and happily walked out of the bathroom. Victoria climbed back into Barbara's arms and sleepily clung onto the ghost as they walked downstairs.

"MUM!" yelled Will, running up to his mother excitedly "Mum! Guess what?"

"What?" laughed Lydia 

"I won!" Will jumped up and down "I beat grandpa, grandma, Beej and Adam!" 

"Good job!" said Lydia, offering him a high-five. "Thats actually quite an achievement" Will grinned proudly "Now, quickly say goodnight and then up to bed mister" Will gave each family member a quick goodbye and sprinted off upstairs "Brush your teeth!" yelled Lydia only to get no response. 

"Night Vicky" said Delia, gently kissing the sleepy child on the forehead and smiling at Barbara, who smiled back "I see you're the chosen one tonight"

"Apparently" laughed Barbara

"Who did her hair?" asked Charles, also kissing Victoria goodnight "Its really good"

"Barb" said Lydia, going over to Adam and Beetlejuice and helping them pack up the game. 

"Tori won't shut up about her hair tomorrow" said Alex, hugging her grandfather tightly "Glad I'm going to school"

"Oh that reminds me" said Delia, reaching into her pocket and bringing out a necklace with a blue stone pendant "Here, I saw them and thought of you. I know you aren't the biggest fan of crystals or whatever, but this is your birthstone, an Aquamarine, and I thought it just needed to be owned by a beautiful young lady like you"

"Wow, grandma" Alex took the necklace and examined it. It was a simple gold chain with the small stone in the centre "I love it" 

"Really?" asked Delia 

"Of course" said Alex, clutching it tightly in her hand and hugging her grandmother "Thank you"

"You're welcome" said Delia. 

"Right, bed" said Lydia 

"But Adam and Beej" said Alex 

"Will come and see you" said Lydia "Bed now"

"Come on" said Barbara, she turned to look at Charles and Delia "Don't leave without saying goodbye, I'll be down soon" she waved goodbye and ushered Alex off upstairs, still firmly holding a now sleeping Victoria. 

Adam watched her leave with a sigh. Lydia went over to him "Whats wrong? Miss her already?"

"No" laughed Adam "It's just I always imagined Barb doing that with our kids, and now that'll never happen and it just hurts a little seeing her interact with children like that. But I also love it because I know it makes her happy and it helps you" 

"Thanks Adam" said Lydia, she put her arms around the male ghost and hugged him tightly. Adam hugged her back and looked at Charles, Delia and Beetlejuice. Lydia pulled away from the hug and looked at the adults. "So, you all got beat by Will, huh?"

"He's good" said Charles "Like, extremely good"

"I knew I never stood a chance with these 2" said Delia, gesturing to her husband and Adam "But Will surprised me"

"I'm proud of him" said Adam

"In celebration I'm gonna dye his hair green" announced Beetlejuice 

"No" said Lydia

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"Lydia" Barbara walked downstairs again "They're all in bed, but you two gotta be more quiet"

"Sorry mum" they both mumbled. Barbara laughed and looked at everyone. 

"So, we'd best be off" said Delia, she approached Barbara and hugged her goodbye "It was amazing to see you guys again, we promise we'll drop round soon"

"Tell the kids we say good luck with school" said Charles, hugging Lydia tightly "we'll see you soon sweetheart, remember to sleep"

"Thanks for coming around" said Lydia, giving Delia a kiss on the cheek "Message me when you get home please"

"Of course sweetie" said Charles, he and Delia quickly said goodbye to the Maitlands and Beetlejuice and walked out the door. Lydia turned to look at her three dead pals. 

"So, I'm heading up to bed, although I will check in on the kids on my way up" she went around and locked all the doors "You guys staying or no?"

"We'll head up too" said Barbara, taking Adam's hand "Beej?"

"Can I hang with you two for a bit?" he asked

"Sure" said Barbara. Lydia smiled and walked towards the stairs. "We'll get the lights Lyd, just go to bed."

"Thanks guys" she said "Goodnight!"

"Night" they called back and watched as she headed upstairs. Adam and Beetlejuice climbed the stairs together, talking about the game they'd just played and Barbara flicked the lights off, the bottom story of the house turning black. Then she ran up the stairs to catch up with her two boys, wondering what she was going to do tomorrow while everyone was out. 


	11. Errands and tears

"I'm Alex Davey and this is my little brother Will. We're new here" said Alex, approaching the schools front desk

"Ahh yes" said the receptionist "Go say goodbye to your mum and I'll show you to the principal's office" quickly, Will and Alex ran over to their mum and little sister. They each gave them a quick hug before going back over to the receptionist. "Ok, come with me, Lydia" she handed Lydia 2 stacks of paper "I need you to fill these out and send them in with them tomorrow, also, it's good to have you back here"

"Thanks Ms. Marshal" smiled Lydia, she took Victoria's hand "I'll see you guys later, goodbye, have fun!"

"Bye mum!" chorused her children. Lydia smiled and walked out of the office. Victoria was looking around the school in wonder. It was smaller than the schools in New York, but was still big for a 3 year old child.

"So Tori" said Lydia as she buckled her daughter into her car seat "We're going to the shops, I need to pick a few things up, and then we'll head back home, ok?"

"Ok mummy" said Victoria, hugging her bunny happily

"When we get home, I need to do some work, so can you entertain yourself for a while?" asked Lydia, Victoria looked uncertain and Lydia laughed "What if you got a look and find book?"

"Yes" said Victoria happily

"Ok" laughed Lydia. Victoria happily babbled and played with Flopsy for the whole car ride and then they arrived in the shops.

"Right, Flopsy stays here" said Lydia. Victoria sighed but put her toy bunny in her car seat. "Good girl, now come here, don't want you running away do we?" she lifted her daughter into her arms and carried her into the shop. Victoria sat in the trolly and kept on pointing at stuff, asking Lydia for it and was told no every time.

"Mama, can I get pencils and a book so I can draw with Adam?" asked Victoria as they passed the stationary section. Lydia shrugged and grabbed her daughter a sketch book and some colouring pencils, it'll keep her distracted, was her reason. They finished in the shop and quickly popped into the bookstore to pick up the book for Victoria and also a book for Adam and Barbara (Lydia knew the couple loved books and over the years she'd learned what types were their favourites). 

Once they arrived home, Beetlejuice was waiting for them. Victoria got very excited and hugged him. Lydia smiled at the two of them and took the shopping into the kitchen. As she entered she was greeted by Barbara sitting at the kitchen table writing something on a scrap piece of paper.

"Hey Barb" said Lydia, putting the bags down on the table and starting to unpack them "How are you?"

"Oh hi Lydia" said Barbara, putting her pencil down and smiling at the woman "How were they?"

"They're fine" said Lydia, going over to the fridge and putting the eggs and milk away "I've just got a billion forms to fill out"

"You do that then" said Barbara, standing up and going over to the shopping bags "I'll put this away"

"No, Barb, its fine" said Lydia "I can do it"

"Well, I'm helping you anyway" said Barbara "2 people are better than one" Lydia laughed and continued putting the vegetables away. Once they'd finished, Lydia flopped into a seat and looked at the piece of paper Barbara had been writing on.

"Barb, what's this?" asked Lydia, bringing the paper towards her

"Unimportant" said Barbara, running over and snatching the paper out of Lydia's hand and crumpling it into a ball "Beej! I need you to eat something!" she yelled, walking out of the kitchen. Lydia laughed and got up, walking out of the kitchen. She found Beetlejuice chewing on the ball of paper while Victoria and Barbara laughed at him.

"I have so many questions" mumbled Lydia. She walked towards the stairs "I'm going to try do work, you guys keep her entertained and safe please" 

"Will do" said Beetlejuice, a bit of soggy paper flying out of his mouth onto the floor, making both Victoria and Barbara squeal in disgust. Lydia shook her head and walked upstairs. Once she got into her office, she sat down and opened her laptop up. Her background was a photo of her, Liam, Alex, Will and Victoria on halloween. They'd dressed up in onesies and gone as Winnie the Pooh characters. Lydia was Eeyore. Liam was Christopher Robin. Alex was Winnie the Pooh. Will was Tigger and Victoria was Piglet. It was an adorable photo and it made her smile every time she saw it. 

About 10 minutes into writing, Lydia got a notification on her phone. It was one from her dad saying that he and Delia were wondering if she'd like to have lunch with them sometime. Lydia quickly replied and looked at her phone background. It was of her and Liam on their wedding day. They had their noses touching and arms around each other. 

A single tear escaped her eye as she stared at the photo, wondering where he husband was now. If he was ok or if he was dead. She had no idea. The tears dripping down her face grew into full on crying and soon she was muffling her sobs in her sleeve as she looked at the photo. 

"Lydia?" asked a voice at the door. Lydia didn't hear it and continued crying, praying her daughter didn't hear. The door creaked open and she turned around. 

"Adam, oh, hi" she wiped her eyes and looked at the ghost.

"Whats wrong Lydia?" asked Adam, closing the door behind him and going over to the woman he saw as a daughter. Lydia tried to answer but more tears slid down her face and she covered her mouth with her sleeve again. Adam was never any good with comforting people, so he did what he did whenever Barbara was sad. Just hold her and let her cry. Lydia buried her face in Adam's neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Adam rubbed her back and gently rocked side to side. Slowly, Lydia's sobs turned into the occasional hiccup and she lifted her head up.

"I'm sorry" she said "I've been a little bit of a mess recently with the whole moving thing and Liam being gone for so long" 

"Its alright" said Adam, reaching over to her bedside table and handing her a tissue "I know that every now and again Barb just needs a good cry when everything gets too much"

"Barbara Maitland cries?" asked Lydia. Adam chuckled and nodded

"More than you think" Lydia frowned 

"I've only ever seen her cry once" said Lydia, looking into the distance "and that was when it was my fault"

"She doesn't like showing her weak and venerable side" said Adam "It took a few years of us living together for her to start being her real self around me" he smiled slightly "but anyway, I know this may seem tough, but Liam will come home" Lydia raised an eye brow "I half raised that boy until he was three, I know he has the kindest and mist stubborn heart out there, he'll come back to you, I promise" 

"It seems kind and stubbornness runs in the family" laughed Lydia "Alex is stubborn and Tori is kind" 

"Where does Will fit in?" asked Adam 

"I think he somehow inherited some of Beej's DNA" sighed Lydia "He's exactly like him" Adam laughed and offered Lydia a hand up. Lydia took it and stood up, realising just how much she'd grown from when she was a teenager. She was now about the same height as Adam, which meant she was taller than Barbara. 

"How about you take a break and we make some lunch?" suggested Adam, Lydia glanced back at her work "You can come back to it, but I think you need some people time" 

"Ok" said Lydia, she walked over to the door with Adam and opened it "Besides, Beej was eating paper last time I was down, so who knows whats happened" 


	12. After school snacks and chats

"Mum!" yelled Alex, running out of the school gates with Will trailing behind her

"Hey sweetheart" said Lydia "How was today?"

"I made friends" said Alex. Lydia smiled "Their names are Ava and Izzy, they've both lived here their whole lives and they seem really nice"

"Thats so good sweetie" said Lydia, she turned to look at her son "How was today for you?"

"Good" shrugged Will "I met a guy called Matt, he seems cool but I dunno. Can we go home? Beej promised me he'd hang out with me"

"Sure" said Lydia, knowing it was best to not pry at why her son had lost all his energy and enthusiasm. "If I remember correctly, Barb and Vicky baked some cupcakes today, so they're waiting for you"

"Ooh" Alex got excited and started walking off, dragging her mother and brother behind her.

"I don't like cupcakes" muttered Will

"They also made chocolate biscuits" said Lydia "I know you like them because they're the same type Delia makes"

"Ok" mumbled Will, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and dragging his feet along the floor. Lydia wondered what'd gotten into him and came to the conclusion that he was tired and just needed food. They reached the car and drove home. When they got home, they were greeted by the smell of freshly baked food and Beetlejuice chewing on paper.

"You're still eating paper?" asked Lydia

"What?" asked Beetlejuice, swallowing a mouthful and going to take another bite, "tastes good"

"No" said Lydia, taking it from his hand "You're setting a bad example, stop ok? You can do it in your own time or in the Netherworld but not around the kids, got it?"

"Yes Lyd" said Beetlejuice, he got up "you sound like Babs"

"I hope that was meant as a compliment Beej" said Barbara as she emerged from the kitchen, bringing the smell of freshly baked goods with her. "Oh you guys are home, come on in, I made cupcakes, chocolates biscuits and banana bread"

"Yum" exclaimed Alex and she raced into the kitchen, followed by her brother and Beetlejuice. 

"Where's Tori?" asked Lydia "and Adam?"

"Oh I think they're up in the attic" said Barbara "Want me to go get them?"

"Sure" said Lydia. Barbara walked off upstairs, calling to Lydia to eat food. She walked into the kitchen and found both her children munching on the snacks. "You like?"

"Yeah" said Alex, she was shoving a cupcake in her mouth. "These are good"

"Uh huh" said Will, shoving a whole cupcake and a slice of banana bread in his mouth "'s 'eal 'ood" 

"Will, swallow before speaking" said Lydia with a laugh, grabbing a piece of banana bread and taking a bite "God I missed Barbara's cooking" 

"I said" gasped Will, after swallowing down his massive mouthful "It's real good"

"Thanks" said Barbara, walking into the kitchen, followed by Adam and Victoria 

"These taste just like Grans" said Alex, taking a bite of a chocolate biscuit 

"Talking about your dads mum?" asked Barbara, going over to Adam and taking his hand

"Yeah" said Will

"Thats because I got that recipe from my mum" said Barbara "well actually, I got it from my grandma and wasn't interested in it so I gave the recipe to my mum and then once I got older I got into baking and got it back from her"

"Oh wow" said Lydia "I had no idea it was a family recipe, I guess Liam'll have to learn it"

"Or you" said Barbara "You're part of the family"

"Does Adam know it?" asked Lydia

"Yes I do" said the male ghost proudly. Lydia laughed and put the rest of the banana bread in her mouth. Then she went over to the table and sat down. Victoria climbed onto her lap and laid her head on her mother's shoulder. Lydia smiled and wrapped her arms around the small child. Alex and Will each took a handful of food and joined their mother at the table, munching on their snacks. 

"How was school guys?" asked Barbara, bringing the plates over to the table and then sitting down at the end.

"Good" shrugged Alex "I made a few friends, we hung out. I can't wait until the school play though, I really wanna audition"

"Thats really good" said Barbara "Will, how about you?"

"School was ok, I made friends with this guy called Matt and he seems cool. I do really wanna join the basketball team though, that seems cool" 

"Oh I remember going to a few games" said Barbara "It was really fun, wasn't it honey?" she nudged her husband in the ribs.

"Uh huh... fun is one word for it" said Adam "loud is another"

"He's not one for sports" giggled Barbara "I was though, I actually played basketball for a while but quit to focus on theatre"

"I was looking into the drama program for Lex" said Lydia "Is it good?"

"Oh its amazing" said Barbara "Gives you so many opportunities and its also really fun. A really supportive environment too" she looked at Alex, who looked up from her third cupcake "You interested in drama?"

"I like performing" shrugged Alex "Netballs more my thing though, I hope I can make the team"

"I'm sure you will" said Lydia "You're really good"

"What about me?" asked Victoria 

"You can stay my little baby forever" said Lydia, squeezing her tightly "Don't grow up"

"Mama, stop" said Victoria, squirming away. 

"What about me?" came a voice from the ceiling and everyone jumped and looked up to see Beetlejuice floating above them. 

"You can float?" asked Will "No way"

"Beej get down" said Barbara and Lydia in sync

"Jeez, I got two mums now?" he asked, floating onto the floor "and to answer your question, mini Lyd the second, yes I can float or levitate" 

"This guy just gets cooler and cooler" said Will 

"Adam and Babs can too" said Beetlejuice

"No way" Wills mouth dropped open "I wanna be a ghost, you get to float"

"You are not becoming a ghost" said Lydia

"Yes please don't" said Alex "and if you do, please do it far away from me so you can't haunt me forever"

"Lydia, maybe we can do the thing we used to do to you" said Barbara, looking at the two amazed older children.

"Why not" shrugged Lydia "Will, Alex, Tori please come out to the living room, we have something to show you" 


	13. Floating

"Ok, Alex, Will stand over there" said Lydia "Tori, we'll do it to you in a second, just watch for now, ok?"

"Mum, whats going on?" asked Alex

"Don't worry" said Lydia "You're perfectly safe"

"What's happening?" asked Alex, her eyes widening

"Oh don't be such a kill joy Lex" said Will "just chillax for like 5 minutes for once"

"I don't want to die Will" said Alex

"Chill out mini Lyds" said Beetlejuice, floating up to the ceiling "You'll be fine, A-dog and B-town are not gonna let anything happen to you" Will rolled his eyes at his sister and Alex reluctantly nodded. 

"Ready?" asked Barbara, moving to the right side of the siblings while Adam stood to the left. 

"Set" they each raised their hands up 

"Go!" they said in sync. They used their powers to levitate the 2 children off the ground. Barbara was in charge of Alex and Adam was in charge of Will. Alex screamed at first but Will yelled in joy and started kicking his legs around. 

"So, how do you like the view?" asked Beetlejuice, laying down mid air and resting his chin on his hands 

"This is wicked" said Will

"It is isn't it" laughed Lydia, she looked at Victoria "you want a go baby?"

"Uh huh" nodded Victoria. Lydia laughed and looked up at her children 

"Who wants to come down?" Alex immediately raised her hand and Barbara lowered her to the ground before turning her hands to Victoria and gently lifting her off the ground. The young girl squealed happily and had a lovely time up in the air with her brother and their resident demon. 

Once her feet were back on solid ground, the tension left Alex's shoulders and she looked at her mother with wide eyes. Lydia laughed and wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug. 

"Hey Lydia" said Adam, turning to the woman once he and his wife had lowered her 2 younger kids to the ground "want to have a go?"

"Oh I don't know.." said Lydia. Barbara smirked and so did Adam. In sync they lifted her off the ground, forcing a loud yell out of the woman as she floated to the roof with her demon pal. "Hey Beej, been a while since I was up here"

"Remember the tricks?" asked Beetlejuice

"How could I forget" laughed Lydia. She started doing forward flips and backflips. Will cheered and Alex gasped. Neither of them knew their mum was that cool, and just considered her to be your boring regular mum. "God I forgot how fun this is" 

"All we need is music" laughed Barbara. Adam flicked his hand and Calypso music started playing. Specifically Jump In The Line. Lydia smiled at for a few moments allowed herself to be a teenage girl again. She mouthed along to the words as she floated above everyone else. 

"How old is this song?" asked Will, looking for the source of the music "it sounds ancient" 

"Its quite old" laughed Adam "but we used to play them when we were alive and your mum liked them so we kept them around" they lowered Lydia down to the ground as the song finished and Will looked excitedly at the Maitlands and Beetlejuice.

"So what else can you guys do?"

"Well... have you told them what we did to your parents Lyd?" asked Barbara

"Ooh, do tell that story again, I do enjoy it so much" said Beetlejuice

"What happened?" asked Will. Victoria was jumping up and down excitedly and Alex looked intrigued. 

"Well, it was like the day after your mum and grandparents moved in here, and we were still relatively new to being ghosts, and your grandpa was hosting a dinner party. Your mum did not want anything to do with it and convinced us to help her wreck it. We possessed everyone and made them sing a song"

"Oh my god" said Will "You guys are awesome" he turned to his mother "mum, I wanna do that"

"No" said Lydia firmly. Will pouted, which made Adam, Barbara and Lydia laugh. 


	14. Old friend and a surprise

Lydia had been living in Winter River for a month now and was settling into life nicely. One day, she was in the shops and got a surprise"Lydia?" asked a voice. Lydia whipped her head around and saw a young woman and a child approaching her. 

"Hello?" said Lydia, taking Victoria's hand in hers

"Lydia, its me Sky" said the woman. Lydia's mouth dropped opened and she quickly embraced her old friend.

"Oh my god" said Lydia, pulling back from the hug "Sky I missed you so much, how have you been?"

"I'm good" said Sky "I've missed you though. How about you? Keeping well?"

"I guess" said Lydia, grabbing Victoria's hand so she didn't wander off "As well as a mother of 3 children can"

"You have 3 now?"

"Meet my youngest" said Lydia, picking Victoria up "This is Victoria, she's 3"

"Ha! Twins" said Sky, she gestured to the child that was gripping to her leg "This is Luna, she's also three. My oldest, Matt, is probably around the same age as your son"

"Yes, Will mentioned a guy called Matt" said Lydia. She looked at her daughter "Tori, can you say hello to Sky and Luna?"

"Hi" said Victoria shyly

"Hi Victoria" said Sky, picking Luna up "Luna, say hello to Lydia and Victoria"

"Hello" said Luna. Victoria perked up "I'm Luna"

"I'm Victoria"

"I think they'll be friends" said Lydia, lowering her daughter to the ground.

"Want to organize some time for them to have a play? I could have them at my house sometime. Any day you busy?" she put Luna down so she could talk to Victoria

"Thursday I'm having my parents over for lunch" said Lydia "If you could take her for a few hours that would be amazing"

"Of course" said Sky, she checked her watch "Oh, school ends soon, want to head off together"

"Sure" said Lydia. They smiled and led their still chatting daughters towards the check outs. 

Sky had just picked a very excited Victoria up and left Lydia alone with her 4 parents. Beetlejuice had to look after something in the Netherworld that day and the 2 older kids were at school, leaving the 5 adults to have some quality time together.

"We haven't done anything like this in ages" said Delia, leaning back in her seat after finishing her second helping of food "Great cooking by the way Barb, as always"

"Thanks Delia" said Barbara with a smile. Charles phone buzzed and he gave an almost indistinguishable nod to Barbara. She understood and stood up, gathering the plates up. "Adam, want to come help me get desert?"

"Sure hon" Adam stood up and picked up the dish in the middle of the table, following his wife into the kitchen. Lydia watched the Maitlands go and the doorbell rung. Lydia stood up to get it. Charles and Delia watched her and noticed the Maitlands doing the same thing from the kitchen doorway. Lydia opened the door and let out a gasp.

"Liam!" she cried. 

"Surprise honey" he said. Lydia jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, picking her up a little. Lydia was crying into her husbands shoulder and he just hugged her back tightly. Lydia pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked at him

"Oh my god, its you" she sniffed, running her hand over his face "really you"

"Its me" said Liam. Lydia scratched the stubble of his beard with her hand and let out a small laugh. Liam lent forward and kissed her. Lydia kissed him back, wrapping her hands around his neck and resting one in his hair. Liam had his arms wrapped around her waist and was holding her small frame close to his large one. 

"I missed you so much" said Lydia, breaking the kiss and smiling at him. 

"I missed you too" said Liam. Lydia kissed him lightly and looked over at Charles and Delia "Did you know about this?"

"Planned it" said Charles "Surprise sweetheart"

"Dad..." Lydia smiled gratefully at her father "Thank you"

"Where's my sister?" asked Liam, putting an arm around his wife's shoulder and looking for Barbara. Lydia pointed to the kitchen, where the Maitlands were watching them with a smile, Barbara had a few ghostly tears in her eyes. Lydia pushed Liam toward the kitchen and Barbara met him halfway, throwing her arms around her little brothers neck. "Hey Barb"

"Hey" she hugged him tightly, having to go up on her toes because he'd grown so tall "Don't go away for that long ever again" she pulled away and failed at looking stern "Lydia's been so amazing, but she's missed you"

"Don't worry" he squeezed his sister tightly and released her "I'm staying her for good, I miss my family too much to go away anymore"

"Really?" asked Lydia

"Really" confirmed Liam. Lydia broke into a huge grin and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Don't worry, I'm never leaving you again"


	15. Reunion

"When do the kids get back from school?" asked Liam from his spot on the couch.

"School finishes at 3.15" said Barbara, knowing Lydia wouldn't answer because the young woman had fallen asleep "Lydia leaves around 3 to pick them up though. Are you going to go with her?"

"I'll stay here" said Liam, putting an arm around his wife and holding her close to him "Where's Tori though, she isn't old enough to be in school yet"

"She's out at a friend's house," said Barbara "Sky's daughter Luna. They've become really good friends" Liam nodded and smiled at his older sister, who smiled back. The two siblings were sitting on the couch together, their partners both asleep by their sides.

"Think mum will kill me?" asked Liam

"Oh definitely" said Barbara, running her hands through Adam's hair "and Sam and Hannah, you are dead. You've had Lydia worried sick, I can only imagine what mums been like"

"I didn't want to be gone that long" said Liam "but it just happened. I missed Lydia and the kids so much, it hurt sometimes"

"I know how you feel," mumbled Barbara. Liam smiled sadly and looked at his watch. He saw it was 2.55 and looked down at Lydia. The woman was curled up into his side, her small arms wrapped around his large torso.

"Do I wake her up?" asked Liam. Barbara nodded and Liam gently rubbed Lydia's shoulder. The woman sleepily looked up at her husband. "Hi kitten" Lydia smiled at the nickname she'd been given in her teenage years. It was one halloween when she'd worn a black cat onesie. Liam had teasingly called her a kitten and the nickname had stuck.

"Do I have to go get the kids?" mumbled Lydia. Liam nodded with a smile. Lydia sighed but stood up. "Fine, I'll see you in a bit sweetheart" she kissed him on the lips "don't go anywhere"

"I promise," said Liam. Lydia nodded and entrusted Barbara to keep an eye on her younger brother. Then Lydia grabbed her car keys and walked out the door.

"Lex, Will your sisters at a friends house so the house is actually quiet for once" said Lydia as they pulled into the driveway "If you've got no homework you can do whatever you want with me, Adam, Barb and even Beej if you can summon him"

"Sweet" said Alex "Adam said he'd play a game with me"

"You'll lose," said Lydia and Will in sync as they walked up the front steps.

"Thanks for the support and confidence guys, means a lot" deadpanned Alex as her mother unlocked the door. Alex and Will walked in bickering about why Alex would lose to the ghost and Lydia just followed with a smile, knowing they'd soon forget all about the argument and game once they saw who was home. "Barbara!" said Alex as she walked into the big room and towards the female ghost "Will and mum say I'll lose to Adam if I play a game against him"

"Sorry honey" said Barbara, patting her husband lightly on the head as he read "You will"

"Why does no one believe in me?" asked Alex with a dramatic sigh

"I believe in you, you drama queen" said Liam, emerging from the kitchen. Alex and Will spun around and spotted their father. Alex's mouth dropped open and she stared at her father, Will doing the same thing. However the young boy was first to recover. He dropped his school bag and ran towards his dad, leaping into his arms. Alex stayed still for a second longer before doing the same as her brother and letting out a small sob into her father's neck.

"Dad!" they both said. Liam hugged them close to his body.

"Hey guys" he knelt down but kept his arms wrapped tightly around his two oldest children.

"What are you doing here?" asked Will, pulling away. Liam ignored the question and studied his two children. Will's hair had grown longer, despite both his grandmothers and mother's requests to cut it, and he'd gotten taller. Alex was much the same, save for the fact that she now had a fringe. "Are you staying now?" asked Will, a tear slipping down his face.

"I'm not going away anymore buddy" said Liam, wiping his sons face gently "I'm staying here forever" 

That night found the family of 5 curled up on a couch together, the Maitlands had decided to leave the family to themselves. Victoria, who had been ecstatic to discover her father home, was curled up against her mother, sucking on the ear of her rabbit, fast asleep. Liam had Alex and Will each curled up on one side of him, both children clinging tightly to their father. Lydia was on the opposite side of the couch with Victoria, but kept her foot outstretched to her husband, and once they'd put their children to bed and said goodnight to the Maitlands, she curled up into his side and listened to the familiar beat of his heart. She was home, home in this house, home in his arms.

That night, Lydia Deetz fell asleep with a smile on her face. 


End file.
